So honored to announce that IF YOU FIND ME, or as it’s titled in Germany, IF YOU FIND US, is one of six books nominated for the 2015 German Children’s Literature Award by the independent young adult jury.

Results will be announced in October, at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

So excited and so grateful!

A huge thanks to the jury and to my German young adult readers.

As the only female nominee in this category, I’m also proud to represent female writers of young adult fiction.

“The German Children’s Literature Award (Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis) is a prize for works of fiction sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Families, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. It has been awarded annually since 1956 by a jury of literature specialists and critics in four categories: picture book, children’s book, young adult book and non-fiction. In addition, since 2003 an independent young adult jury gives its own award.”

Through the curtain between the beds, I hear Flipa sobbing. I ache, to hold her. But I’m scared of Mama Rhonda. Scared that, one day, she’ll turn the loathing on me, and forever separate me and Flip, out of spite.

“Flip is on a breakfast kick. It’s the only food that doesn’t taste like metal. She’ll only eat Moons Over My Hammy. Denny’s is twenty minutes away. Mama Rhonda wants to go home. She has a movie coming on at seven.”

“Mom – wait! Where are you going? I don’t want Mama Rhonda to think –”

“Like that woman ever thinks. Calm down. I’m driving to DENNY’S.” My mom says the last so loudly, I’m sure they can hear her all the way to the nurse’s station. “And we’re ALL having MOONS OVER MY HAMMYS. As a matter of fact, Payson and FLIPA,” she shouts, “are getting TWO MOONS OVER MY HAMMYS. One for NOW, and one for LATER. They can have ANOTHER ONE, if they want, TOMORROW and the NEXT DAY and the NEXT DAY.”

The sobs behind the curtain subside into tinkling laughter, like wind chimes turning the storm around.

Mom bends down and holds me tight. It hurts the incision in my chest, but I don’t care.

“You’ll be okay while I’m gone?”

I nod, swallowing the tears, my eyes like smiling up from the bottom of a pool. I catch her hand, as big as a raven, to me.

“I love you, Mom.”

She stops to regard me in the bed, and she smiles. A before smile.

“If that woman upsets Flipa one more time, you call Nurse Loretta. I don’t care.”

“I will.”

My mom picks up the remote control, and the tv bolted to the ceiling flips from The Price is Right, to the Disney channel. She disappears around the curtain. A moment later –